All things Metallica

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Borris2008 wrote:

Strangely enough they had big shows in the '80s too. I saw Iron Maiden at Donnington along with 107,000' others complete with big production, massive fireworks, huge video screens and an army of stage crew, security etc...Still only £20 for six bands.

That was the 80's when music still had value. They could spend big bucks because they knew they'd see a healthy return. Sadly, things change.

The outrageous prices for concessions though I can't defend. $12 for a sh*tty lite beer? $5 bucks for a soft pretzel? That's just price gouging. I took my family to an NHL hockey game not long ago and 4 pretzels and 4 bottle of waters set me back nearly $40 bucks. Ridiculous!

Rough news on Dickstripper though. I thought they were going to be bigger than the Stones.

Things have changed a ton since back in the day... back then, unless you were one of the biggest metal bands on the planet (and had good management to manage the costs/business side of things when touring), you didn't make money off touring. Most bands lost money on touring... hence the "record company support" to tour. Your income came from album sales. The tour was to promote the album. Now a days. most of the money is made from touring and the album is generally an excuse to tour.

At least Metallica is actually touring the new album and not pulling a Def Leppard (let's tour Hysteria again, play 3/4 of the album, one song off the new album and call it a anew album tour).

Hell, Maiden's production looks great and they have stayed away from the LED screens (probably keeps the cost down) and ticket prices are lower than Metallica or the other major tours.... of course, some fans complain that they are using the same stage frame and replace the coverings every tour.... but it still looks great!

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and not pulling a Def Leppard (let's tour Hysteria again, play 3/4 of the album, one song off the new album and call it a anew album tour).

You forgot to add releasing a DVD of a show for which the lead singer is lip syncing to vocal tracks already released on separate live albums (Mirrorball and Viva Hysteria), or, in the case of the 3 new songs, just miming along to the studio vocal tracks.

I've heard the 3 cd version of Hardwired, in case the bonus stuff made it a better purchase, but no.
2 or 3 bonus tracks, in addition to only the 3 or 4 songs I really like on the first CD, is not enough for me to spend money on.
Had hoped it would have been another great 75 (or 80) / 100. like Death Magnetic, but Hardwired is just another boring Load/Reload/Black album and just barely a 50 out of 100 like those.

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I've heard the 3 cd version of Hardwired, in case the bonus stuff made it a better purchase, but no.
2 or 3 bonus tracks, in addition to only the 3 or 4 songs I really like on the first CD, is not enough for me to spend money on.

The only reason I bought the 3-CD version was cuz on the first day of release, it was on sale for the same price as the 2-disc ($9.99). Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered. I think I've listened to the extra disc once.

To go back to what concerts are like, i've heard kids, meaning younger then 30, complain the concert didn't have enough "show" and was mostly just the band doing music. Go figure.

Now this is the kind of stupid, out-of-touch stuff the band does that ticks me off...

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METALLICA has enlisted DJ and producer Mix Master Mike to take part in the upcoming North American leg of the band's "WorldWired" tour.

The band said in a statement: "Mike will be spinning some of your favorite (and ours!) hard rock and metal tracks throughout the evening at all of the stadium dates this summer. A pioneer in the hip-hop and DJ communities, you'll be able to catch his skillful, hard-hitting scratch work once the doors open each night and between acts before we hit the stage.

"Named as the 'world's greatest DJ' by USA Today, Mix Master Mike has won Grammys, been inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a member of the BEASTIE BOYS, spun at the Vancouver Winter Olympics and the Emmys, and has created music that has been featured on major television networks."

Says Mix Master Mike: "Ladies, gents and fans worldwide. I would like to take this moment and proudly announce I will be touring and opening for METALLICA on the 2017 'WorldWired' tour. As a longtime fan of METALLICA, I am truly humbled and honoured for this amazing opportunity to support the greatest metal band of our generation."

This reminds of Andrew WK opening for Black Sabbath a few years ago*. A DJ spinning records at a metal concert is stupid. You want walk-in music? Plug one of the roadies ipods into the sound system and hit shuffle. You'll get the same effect. I don't need to hear " skillful, hard-hitting scratch work".

* A few years ago, when Sabbath started their farewell tour, Andrew WK opened the shows for them. Not performing with a band or anything. Just him and 2 turntables, playing music and occasionally trying to pump up the crowd. It was the dumbest opening act I've seen.

Do they not trust they can sell out big venues or do they really like this stuff?

Dark Horseman wrote:

Do they not trust they can sell out big venues or do they really like this stuff?

Yeah cause someone who played records for the Beastie Boys way back will sell a ton of tickets in 2017!

There are so many up and coming bands who would absolutely kill for a touring opportunity like that, and yet they hand it off to a DJ? Oy.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Do they not trust they can sell out big venues or do they really like this stuff?

Like most of their hair-brained ideas they had in the last 20 years or so, I'd attribute this to Lars and his desire to "think outside of the box and do the unexpected".

Good or bad, he's determined to not be pigeon-holed as "just another metal band". He does everything in his power (either subconsciously or on-purpose) to distance themselves from their past. Allot of people give Joe Elliott sh*t for trying to change Def Leppard's history, but Lars is just as bad.

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There are so many up and coming bands who would absolutely kill for a touring opportunity like that, and yet they hand it off to a DJ? Oy.

Avengend Sevenfold and Volbeat are on the bill too. I'm assuming Mix Master Mike will be playing when the doors open and people are filling into their seats. Or still in the parking lot, chugging Milwaukee Best and singing Master of Puppets.

maybe mix master can scratch Lulu....

I'd love to see Volbeat.

Dark Horseman wrote:

I'd love to see Volbeat.

A band i still need to get into.

Dark Horseman wrote:

I'd love to see Volbeat.

I really can't get into that band, and don't see the big deal about them, but I saw them open for Megadeth a few years ago, and they really put on a good show. The singer really gets the crowd going. I'd probably go see them again if they have another good band with them.

I liked them ok at first but wasn't overly into them but my Daughter loves them and plays them all the time and they've really grown on me.

So I've lived with Hardwired for a whole now, and it's shelf life has been strong. Its a little early to say I love it, it takes time to settle on albums that will stick with a guy long term, but I will say I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

That being said anytime I'm presented with a double album, I cant help but feel it would be best served to trim the fat into a single disc. Even if most the material is strong, double disc albums usually wind up being mixed bags and having songs live with each other that feel like they should be on separate projects.

So have any of you had the temptation to chop and rearrange Hardwired to self-destruct into something a little easier to digest in a single listen as well?

Here's what I came up with:

Spit out the Bone
Atlas Rise
Dream No More
Moth Into Flame
Confusion
Halo On Fire
Hardwired

It's still a tad long, but most of the songs on the album top 6 minutes so that unavoidable. I still really enjoy the other songs, and I almost replaced either dream no more or confusion with "here comes revenge" but something about the vibe of this grouping of songs seems to fit together better.

I'd have a hard time leaving off Murder One.

Thinking about it today, I switched out confusion for Lords of Summer, I know technically isn't an album track, but man the listen moves along at a great clip with that change around. It's a really fun collection of tunes.

I found the 3 disc version used fro $9.00 but passed on it for some reason. I probably should have snagged it but I just can't get into new Metallica.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Dark Horseman wrote:

Do they not trust they can sell out big venues or do they really like this stuff?

Like most of their hair-brained ideas they had in the last 20 years or so, I'd attribute this to Lars and his desire to "think outside of the box and do the unexpected".

Good or bad, he's determined to not be pigeon-holed as "just another metal band". He does everything in his power (either subconsciously or on-purpose) to distance themselves from their past. Allot of people give Joe Elliott sh*t for trying to change Def Leppard's history, but Lars is just as bad.

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There are so many up and coming bands who would absolutely kill for a touring opportunity like that, and yet they hand it off to a DJ? Oy.

Avengend Sevenfold and Volbeat are on the bill too. I'm assuming Mix Master Mike will be playing when the doors open and people are filling into their seats. Or still in the parking lot, chugging Milwaukee Best and singing Master of Puppets.

Judas Priest did the exact same thing a few years ago with Lady Starlight... Not exactly an original idea lol

So i gave hardwired a fresh listen today and i must admit it is quite a good album. Moth into flame and spit out the bone are very solid and will see regular spins from me in the future.

It is a good album and deserves its chance.

Gilbert wrote:

So i gave hardwired a fresh listen today and i must admit it is quite a good album. Moth into flame and spit out the bone are very solid and will see regular spins from me in the future.

It is a good album and deserves its chance.

It's a decent album, but after revisiting it recently, I'm still of the opinion that it probably could be trimmed down to one album. There's a few songs that I tend to skip over.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Gilbert wrote:

So i gave hardwired a fresh listen today and i must admit it is quite a good album. Moth into flame and spit out the bone are very solid and will see regular spins from me in the future.

It is a good album and deserves its chance.

It's a decent album, but after revisiting it recently, I'm still of the opinion that it probably could be trimmed down to one album. There's a few songs that I tend to skip over.

I liked the few songs I heard (mainly from the videos)...but I just don't care about owning any Metallica past the black album.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Gilbert wrote:

So i gave hardwired a fresh listen today and i must admit it is quite a good album. Moth into flame and spit out the bone are very solid and will see regular spins from me in the future.

It is a good album and deserves its chance.

It's a decent album, but after revisiting it recently, I'm still of the opinion that it probably could be trimmed down to one album. There's a few songs that I tend to skip over.

True, i agree.

Metallica will release a remaster of the famed "$5.98 EP: Garage Days Re-Revisited" in April to celebrate Record Store Day:

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/metallica-remastered-the-5-98-ep-garage-days-re-revisited-due-in-april/

I still have the original vinyl, the Garage Inc. re-package, and I've found two copies of the original CD at Goodwill over the past year or two, so I'm good.